56: Chapter 56 Premier League Welcome Gift! Yu Bai, licking his lips in anger after being fouled right from the start, thought: "Come on, cripple me!"

"The match—has begun!"

In the CCTV studio, the voice of Commentator Duan Xuan was like a machine gun; fast and clear, it instantly pulled the audience into the tense atmosphere of the match:

"Wearing their traditional blue away kit, Leicester City's manager, Claudio Ranieri, has fielded a slightly pragmatic 4-3-2-1 'Christmas Tree' formation today!"

"Goalkeeper: Number 1, Kasper Schmeichel!"

"The defensive line, from left to right: Number 15 Jeffrey Schlupp, number 5 captain Wes Morgan, Robert Huth, and number 2 Ritchie De Laet!"

"The midfield trio: Number 10 Andy King dropping deep to organize, number 14 NGolo Kanté covering and sweeping, and number 4 'Drinkwater' Danny Drinkwater responsible for distribution!"

"The two attacking midfielders: On the right, number 26, the Algerian magician Riyad Mahrez! On the left—"

Commentator Duan Xuan's voice suddenly rose, full of anticipation, "Number 52, who unexpectedly received a starting opportunity due to Marc Albrighton getting injured during the pre-match warm-up—Yu Bai!"

"The lone striker, Jamie Vardy!"

"The match has begun! Bournemouth kicks off!"

...

The 4th minute.

The first threat of the match appeared.

Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson took a desperate shot from outside the penalty area, but the shot was soft and powerless, easily gathered into the arms of Kasper Schmeichel.

The Danish goalkeeping god didn't delay, quickly rising to his feet and delivering a hand-throw that accurately found Kante, who was picking up speed outside the penalty area!

"A fast counter-attack! This is the rhythm of Leicester City!"

Kante didn't even stop the ball; meeting the incoming pass, he used his left foot to gently flick it, sending it straight to Yu Bai, who was waiting in the space on the left flank!

"Yu Bai! His first touch!"

This was, in the true sense, the first time Yu Bai had possession of the ball after his first Premier League start.

The clamor of Vitality Stadium seemed to be instantly muted, and all his attention was focused on the rolling ball.

Bournemouth's right midfielder, Matt Ritchie, pounced on him like a shark smelling blood, aggressive and menacing!

Yu Bai was exceptionally calm. He didn't blindly rush forward; instead, he used his body to lean slightly against his opponent, keeping the ball firmly under control at his feet, his eyes observing Ritchie's center of gravity and his intention to tackle.

Wait!

Just at the moment when Ritchie lost his patience and stretched out a leg to try and poke the ball away—

Yu Bai used the toe of his right foot to gently poke the ball forward! A knock-past! Simple, efficient, utilizing the momentum of his opponent's aggressive tackle and that half-step spatial difference!

"Beautiful! He's past him!"

"Clean!"

Having gotten past Ritchie, the field in front of him instantly opened up! Yu Bai didn't play greedily; he looked up and immediately saw Jamie Vardy starting his run in the middle, raising his right hand to call for the ball, while Bournemouth's left defensive line had left a wide-open space due to his previous movement!

"Pass it to Jamie Vardy! A great chance!"

Yu Bai didn't hesitate for a second; adjusting his stride while running, he quickly used the outside of his right foot to curl a cross! The ball carried intense spin, bypassing the midfielder attempting to intercept, and flew precisely into the path of Jamie Vardy's sprint!

However, the very moment the ball left his foot and flew forward—

"Bang!" A dull, teeth-grinding sound of impact!

A red figure (Bournemouth's home kit is red and black stripes) came sliding in mercilessly from the side and back! It was Bournemouth's defensive midfielder, Eunan OKane!

He wasn't going for the ball at all; his studs slammed solidly and viciously into the ankle of Yu Bai's left leg, which was his standing foot!

"Ahhh—!!!" A shrill scream, transmitted clearly through the long-range audio system, echoed throughout the entire Vitality Stadium, and was broadcast to thousands of households!

Yu Bai was sent flying into the air by this brutal tackle that was aimed entirely at the player, then crashed heavily onto the turf, clutching his left ankle, curling into a ball in agony, his face twisted in pain!

"Malicious foul!"

"This is fucking murder!"

"Red card! A straight red card!"

The traveling Leicester City fans instantly erupted! That challenge was too dirty!

At this moment, the ball had already flown to the front court. Jamie Vardy used his speed advantage to get the ball, but Bournemouth center-back Tommy Elphick and right-back Francis quickly closed him down, knocking the ball out of bounds.

Only then did the referee, Simon Hooper, blow his whistle, run back to the Leicester City half to check on Yu Bai's condition, and signal for the Leicester City team doctor to enter the field.

The linesman ran over and whispered something to Hooper, having clearly seen the entire process of the foul.

After listening, Hooper frowned and walked over to Eunan OKane, who was still lying on the ground with an expression that said, "I was making a fair challenge," and pulled out from his shirt pocket—a yellow card.

Upon seeing the yellow card, Eunan OKane acted as if he had been greatly wronged, waving his arms excitedly and arguing incessantly with the referee, as if he were the victim.

Team doctor Dave Rennie quickly checked Yu Bai's ankle. Fortunately, it was a contusion; the bones and ligaments should be fine, but the side of his ankle had already rapidly swollen up. The intense pain made Yu Bai grimace, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He sat on the ground, looking at that hypocritical, complaining face not far away, then looked at his own swollen ankle, and a surge of anger "whooshed" up to his head.

This foul was completely unnecessary; it was purely aimed at the player! This was the way some old veterans in the Premier League "welcomed" talented newcomers—giving you a stern warning to let you know this isn't a place for playing house.

"Son of a bitch…" Yu Bai cursed under his breath, his face showing visible anger and frustration.

Team doctor Rennie sprayed the freezing spray on him while whispering words of comfort, his tone carrying the helplessness of someone who had seen it all: "Yu, relax, take a deep breath. Welcome to the real Premier League. Some guys here sometimes really can't distinguish between playing football and… kicking people. You'll get used to it."

Yu Bai gritted his teeth and said nothing. Get used to it? How could one get used to this kind of malicious injury?

With the team doctor's help, he stood up, limping, and tried to step on his foot. It was excruciatingly painful, but he could still carry on. He glared fiercely at Eunan OKane, a look that seemed to say: I've remembered you.

...

In the few minutes after returning to the pitch, Yu Bai felt as if his left ankle had been filled with lead; it was numb and painful, and every touch of the ball sent a sharp, stinging sensation through it.

After getting the ball, he didn't dare to do too much, almost always playing one-touch passes.

Leicester City's offense also temporarily fell into a stalemate; there weren't many chances, and it was hard to comfortably get the ball to the front court.

The 11th minute.

Bournemouth shifted their attack to the right flank, and their right-back, Francis, rushed up at high speed.

Yu Bai's left foot wasn't hurting as much anymore; he quickly tracked back to a defensive position, getting there ahead of his opponent, using his body to block the path and shield the ball out of bounds.

"Good defense! Yu Bai is tracking back very actively!"

Although the ball had gone out of bounds, Francis, who had been sprinting at full speed, seemed unable to "brake," or perhaps he never intended to. Using his momentum, he slammed his shoulder hard into the back of Yu Bai, who was facing away from him, while simultaneously making a subtle pushing motion with his hands!

"Bang!" Yu Bai was sent flying again, crashing outside the pitch!

"Hey!" The nearby Leicester City players immediately raised their hands in protest.

This time, Yu Bai didn't just silently endure it. He quickly got up, rushed over in one stride, glared fiercely at Francis, and postured as if he were about to charge in and fight!

Francis chewed his gum, standing his ground; far from being afraid, his face instead revealed an intrigued, even slightly mocking smile.

He spread his hands, making an innocent expression that said, "I didn't foul."

However, midway through his charge, Yu Bai suddenly stopped. He didn't actually make a move, but stopped a step away from Francis, tilting his head slightly up,

"You are just a fucking loser who only uses his hands to play football; can't you play without using your hands?"

"Why don't you go play basketball? Football is played with your feet, cutie!"

The smile on Francis's face instantly froze. He hadn't expected this seemingly quiet, even slightly frail-looking Chinese kid to have such a sharp tongue and such a fiery temper!

Before the match, manager Eddie Howe had indeed specifically instructed him to focus on marking this number 52, saying his Dribbling was dangerous.

Francis had been dismissive at the time—a 17-year-old kid, how dangerous could he be? Now, however, he had a new understanding of this "danger"—it wasn't just in his feet, but also in his mouth and the ruthlessness in his eyes.

"Kid," Francis put away his fake smile and took a step forward, almost face-to-face with Yu Bai. He could smell the faint scent of sweat on the other and that repressed anger. He lowered his voice, his tone becoming cold and threatening:

"Aren't you good at Dribbling?"

"Come on, try and get past me."

He paused, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes, his voice squeezed out from between his teeth:

"Let's see if you can dribble past me cleanly…"

"Or if I, fucking first, ruin you!"

A naked threat! Unconcealed malice!

The fourth official on the sideline and referee Hooper seemed to sense the gunpowder atmosphere here and began to look over.

After hearing this, the anger on Yu Bai's face strangely disappeared.

He licked his lips, which were a bit dry from tension and running, and then, slowly, slowly curled one corner of his mouth, revealing a smile that, in Francis's eyes, was somewhat eerie and even carried a hint of excitement.

He looked into Francis's eyes, which were filled with malice, and similarly lowered his voice, using a volume only the two of them could hear, responding word by word, his tone terrifyingly calm:

"Great."

"This is what the Premier League should be like."

"Come on," he tilted his head slightly, two dark flames igniting in his eyes.

"Try it, ruin me."

"C-u-t-i-e."

Having said that, he no longer looked at Francis's instantly livid face, turned around, and ran toward his position. The sunlight was a bit dazzling, shining on the white "YU, 52" on his back.